How Prince William Left Kate Feeling ‘Crushed’ With Unexpected Birthday Decision
The Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) celebrated her 44th birthday on Jan. 9. Kate is thought to have spent the day with her husband, three children, and other loved ones just as she has so many other years.
But one birthday the princess likely doesn’t look back on fondly is when she turned 27.
Read on to find out why that wasn’t a very happy time for her after a surprising decision Prince William made.
William’s choice derailed Kate’s plans for where she thought she would be at 27
Back in 2008, everyone was buzzing about whether William was going to propose to his longtime girlfriend when news broke that he would be joining the RAF. The Mirror reported that his decision was said to have taken several members of his family by surprise as they thought he would rejoin the Household Cavalry or leave the military and immerse himself in full-time work on behalf of the Crown. And for Kate, William’s choice derailed the plans she had assumed would come together in her life as well.
In her book, Kate: The Future Queen, royal commentator Katie Nicholl explained, “With that single decision, Kate’s life was turned upside down. She had expected a proposal once William had completed his military training, but instead, she was forced to accept that there would be no engagement any time soon. Kate would have to wait even longer. She supported his desires and ambitions, but privately, she was crushed. William was asking her to be an army wife — without the nuptials. Her frustration was understandable.”
Nicholl added, “For Kate, it was a step backwards. It seemed that everyone was getting married except for her. As she neared her 27th birthday, Kate’s plan to be married with children by the time she was thirty was looking increasingly unlikely.”
The prince and princess acknowledged some difficult times in their past
Of course, William did eventually propose. It happened when they were on a trip together in Kenya. They shared their happy news with the world a few weeks later in November 2010. The prince shared why he chose that location to ask Kate to marry him.
“Africa is definitely one of the places I go to. It does completely settle me down,” he said. “[Kate] understands what it means to me being in Africa, and my love of conservation. I didn’t really plan it that far in advance. I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it.”
During their joint post-engagement interview, the two were also asked about some of the difficult times earlier in their relationship.
“We were both very young,” William said as he opened up about their first breakup. “It was at university, we were sort of both finding ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff, it was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up.”
Kate chimed in, adding, “I think at the time I wasn’t very happy about it, but actually, it made me a stronger person.”
